Musicians Adopt Pact: Let The Music Begin

Pact Adopted: Let The Music Begin Again

The musicians of the Hartford Symphony voted Wednesday night to accept a new three-year contract, ending a shutdown that lasted 13 months and wiped out more than 50 concerts.

The tally was not made public, but the vote came after about an hour of discussion.

"This agreement is a positive first step toward a better future for the musician as a professional, the symphony as an institution and Hartford as a vital community," said Michael Pollard, a violinist and spokesman for the players' negotiating committee. "However, it's only a beginning. We are all charged with the responsibility of building upon this new foundation."

The plan, which runs through the 1994-95 season, retains a scaled-down version of the 21-member core orchestra, provides new health insurance and pension benefits and calls for sharply increased musician representation on the Hartford Symphony Orchestra board.

"The musicians can be proud of the commitment they have shown toward preserving the integrity of their profession," Pollard said.

The proposal ratified by the musicians Wednesday had been accepted by the players' negotiating team Tuesday night in an eleventh-hour meeting with the orchestra's management team. Management had embraced the plan two weeks earlier.

The plan was developed by Ronald E. Compton, chairman and chief executive officer of Aetna Life & Casualty, who has been a closely involved third-party mediator in the dispute since January.

All participants credited Compton with being the driving force behind the settlement.

"The entire symphony family owes a huge debt of gratitude to Ron Compton," said Paul Reuter, the symphony's executive director. "This agreement is a testimony to his commitment to a resolution, and his belief that Hartford should have a first-rate symphony orchestra. I can't tell you the tremendous relief and joy I feel knowing the Hartford Symphony will survive."

Pollard called Compton's efforts "invaluable."

Compton praised "all the people who worked very hard and sacrificed to get this symphony back on the stage."

"Now it's time for the people of the Hartford area to prove through their attendance and their generosity that the effort was not in vain," Compton said.

Reuter said the details of the '92-93 season would be made public within the next few days, and that a barrage of advertising and promotion, including newspaper advertisements, radio spots and direct mailings, would start today. He also said the process of rebuilding the orchestra staff, which had dwindled from 16 employees to a handful, would begin immediately.

The orchestra's music director, Michael Lankester, said that the orchestra, from a musical and an organizational standpoint, faces "an enormous rebuilding job."

"But, it's important to remember that we are not starting from scratch. We're building on a 48-year history. And the players are all professional musicians who can sound good under any circumstances. I relish the thought of working with them again soon."

The first concerts of the new season will be Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Fittingly, perhaps, the featured work will be Dvorak's "New World" Symphony.

Rehearsals are expected to begin a week or so earlier.

The euphoria of having finally hammered out a settlement was tempered, to some extent, by the ambitious fund-raising goals called for in the new agreement. In round numbers, the new plan obligates the symphony to raise a million dollars a year for the next three years. But the public face was upbeat.

"The Hartford Symphony is alive and back in business," said Peter Burgess, the orchestra board's president. "We can now move forward to do the work necessary, particularly fund-raising, to assure success."

At the Bushnell Memorial, the orchestra's official performing home, the mood was jubilant.

"We're overjoyed," said Doug Evans, the hall's managing director. "The symphony is one of our unique cultural resources, and it has been sorely missed. We look forward to welcoming back the musicinas and the audience alike."

Evans had reason to be pleased: During the 13 months of the stoppage, the Bushnell lost an estimated $200,000 in rental and related income.

Inquiries concerning subscription or individaul ticket sales should be made to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra box office, 244-2999